Ben Simmons didn’t play in the Philadelphia 76ers’ Las Vegas Summer League game on Wednesday, and you can count Isiah Thomas among those who weren’t happy at that.
Thomas, who was doing color commentary for NBA TV’s broadcast of the game, was critical of the decision, going as far as to chastise Simmons for not playing and needing a rest after such a brief summer league schedule.
“He’s a young player. He should be playing tonight,” Thomas said. “You got people coming into the building, they wanna watch him play, he’s a rookie, taking selfies, signing autographs. I mean, he’s 19. Earn your money, get out on the floor, perform, and play. Don’t start developing bad habits right now. You’ve played maybe, what, eight games in the summer? How can you take a day off for a rest?”
Simmons isn’t unique in sitting out games. Many rookies who play in the summer league aren’t playing in every game, so Simmons is being unfairly singled out by Thomas. If he’s not going to play, I’d rather have him interacting with fans and giving them something as opposed to just sitting on the bench in a bubble. Thomas is just being very old-school. We wonder if he thought less of Simmons for doing this before the draft as well.
H/T CBS Sports
